Tuesday, March 18, 2014

[originally posted 9/13/2010]We just read at the hep-cat blog, Nitro-Retro, that Stooges drummer Scott Asheton has died at 64. RIP. Here is an old post on The Stooges regurgitated for you to enjoy Scott's work today.
Detroit is a rough and tumble town. Broken windows, broken concrete and broken noses abound in this city of a broken economy. That profile fits it's music too. In the late 60's Detroit birthed two of the most violent, ugly, out of time bands that ever committed noise to wax. One was the way cool MC5 (watch their way cool live vid here), and the other is the karate blow of a band, The Stooges, the band best known for thrusting Iggy Pop onto the world.

Today's SOTW, is Search and Destroy, the single from Iggy and The Stooges critically acclaimed third album, Raw Power and was recorded in the Fall of '72. I think the name of the song and the name of the album say everything that needs to be said. So sit back, and enjoy.

Yeah, this was the third. It came out in '73 and is barely the Stooges. Ron Asheton is not on lead guitar, some cat named James Williamson. Ron was on bass. Iggy was pretty whacked on H at the time and David Bowie was trying to keep Pop out of the gutter. The beginning of a fruitful friendship for both.

You can really listen to this song and hear where the Damned and Sex Pistols and Ramones would pick up the mantle just a few short years later. Check the Flip-Side for the Damned's first single.

This was the first Iggy/Stooges album I ever bought, and I'd never heard a note of the music. But the cover photos (mostly if Iggy, but one or two of guitarist Williamson) convinced me that the sounds inside would be intense, angry, and cool. Without a doubt, that was true.

There are two (at least) interesting "what if's" to ponder regarding this album:

1) What if Bowie hadn't screwed up the mix? While Bowie's original mix was much maligned through the years, it was subsequently emulated by countless bands. Though I think the songs and playing are great in and of themselves, the SOUND of this record, with the guitars simply screaming like an ill-mannered child, plays a significant part in making this a must-have album. I've never heard the Bowie remix (that supposedly 'corrects' the original mistakes) and have no desire to.

2) What if Ron Asheton had not been 'demoted' to playing bass? I'm not trying to denigrate the bass-playing demographic, only sympathizing with a guitar player who was in essence fired, then re-hired as a sideman, but on a different instrument than he had played on the first two records. I'm pretty certain Ron went to his grave (too early) carrying the grudge against this record and this stage of the Stooges, but without Williamson's songs and playing, this record would not be what it is. Maybe it would be better, maybe it would be worse, but I'm glad it is what it is.